Liquid-fuel burner



June 10, 1930. SCHMIDT 1,762,356

LIQUID FUEL BURNER Filed Nov. 19, 1924 H.F.5chmidt INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented June 10; V

- UNITED STATES PATJ'ENT OFFICE BENNY F. SCHMIDT, OF LANSDOWNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING OOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA LIQUID-FUEL BURNER Application filed November 19, 1924. Serial No. 750,799.

My invention relates to liquid fuel burners and it has for an object to provide apparatus of the character designated which shall be effective to break the fuel up into an extremely minute form before combustion and which shall be flexible inoperation in that it will provide and support a hot, steady flame throughout a Wide range of demand.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in section and partially in elevation, of a burner embodying a preferred form of my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the baffle employed for the deflection of the fuel into the air supply; and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views of the specific fuel-projae'cting nozzle employed in the device of In the installation of liquid fuel burners under boilers and in similar locations, it has been proposed to supply each burner with an individual motor or turbine-driven fan whereby the amount of air supplied to the combustion chamber may be quickly and accurately adjusted within wide limits.

In accordance with the present invention,

. I provide a motor or turbo-driven fan, preferably of the propeller type, projecting into an opening in the furnace wall, said fan being provided at the inner end of its hub with a baffle member, said baffle member accordingly rotating with the fan. 'I then dispose immediately in front'of said bafiie member a fuel nozzle so designed as to project a conical shape spray of fuel against the baffle member. Each particle of fuel in this spray is projected against the baili e member in a general direction which is counter to the direction of rotation of said baflie member. Accordingly the fuel is-broken up by impact .upon the baffle into an extremely finely divided form and ejected outinto the air blast where it almost immediately forms a highly combustible mixture for the support of the flame as is desired.

of fuel as it leaves the opening, one of which 12-12 is a motor 13 carrying upon its shaft a fan 14 of the propeller type, all of any desired and convenient form.

Thexfan 14 is provided at the inner end of its hub with a baflie member 15 comprising a central cusp 16 surrounded by a relatively wide, shallow groove as shown. This baffle member 15' is shown in front view in Fig. 2 and it will be noted that said groove is provided with transverse lugs or impact members 50 17-17 the form of which may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. I

Disposed immediately behind the bafii'e member 15 is a fuel nozzle 18 comprising a 5 casing having a flaring opening 19 directed toward the cusp 16 of the member 15. Surrounding the orifice 19 is an annular chamber 20, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, this annular chamber communicating directly with the 10 orifice 19 as shown.

Fuel under pressure, as from an elevated reservoir 21, is supplied through a suitable control valve 22 and pipe 23 to the annular chamber 20, the arrangement of said supply pipe being such that the fuel enters the chamber 20 tangentially, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. By reason of this construction and -arrangement the particles of fuel are caused to rotate within the annular chamber 20 at an extremely rapid rate. The fuel will leave the opening 19 in a spray which willresemble somewhat a cone in shape. Two forces will be acting upon each of these particles acts in a direction which is tangential to the path of the particle previous to its exit, and the other of which acts in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation. The first force is the centrifugal force created by the rotation of the fuel within the annular chamber 20, and the other is that which is created by the pressure of the fuel within this chamber. The resultant of these two forces will be a straight line which extends from the opening 19 to the surface of the baffle member 15. This line will strike the battle member at an acute angle as will be readily understood. v

The design is such that the direction of r0 tation of the bafile member 15 is qounter to ml the general direction of the projected parti cles of fuel,'whereby itresults that the im-.

I fuel in the path of the air blast.

It will be notedthat upon the ignition of the combustible mixture thus formed, an extremely flexible and stable flame is produced, the stability rising from the extremely minute subdivision of the fuel particles and the flexibility arising from the fact that by cutting down the fuel spray and correspondingly reducing'the speed of the fan, as by rheostat 24, it is still possible to secure, a highly combustible mixture in far less volume than is produced when fuel issupplied at the maximum rate and the fan 14 is operating at maximum speed.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it iwill be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible. of various other changes and modifications, without departing from. the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in theappended claims.

What I claim is: 1. In a liquid fuel burner, the combination with means for setting up an air blast, of

means disposed within said air blast and providmg an annular chamber having an axlal discharge orifice facing toward the source of V said blast, and means for supplying fuel tan-.

genti'ally to said chamber, whereby a rotary motion is imparted to said fuel prior to its ejection from said orifice into said blast.

2. In a-liquid fuel burner, a propeller type fan disposed to project an air blast and having its exposed .hub end provided with a baflie member comprising a central cusp surrounded by an annular groove having roughened walls, and means for projecting the fuel against the central, portion of said baflie member, whereby the rotation of said baflle member breaks up the fuel into minute particles the act of deflecting the fuel into. said air ast.

3. In a liquid fuel burn-er, the combination of a fan. for projecting an air blast; a baflle member disposed upon and rotatable with said fan; a nozzle member opposed to said baffle member and comprising an annular chamber havingan axial nozzle opening directed toward said bafiie member and a tangential supply passage for said chamber and means for supplying fuel to said passage under pressure, whereby a conical spray is pro- :jected-against said bafiie member and deflected into said air blastin finely divided form.

4. In a liquid fuelflburner, the combination of a fan for projecting an air blast; it baflle member concentrically mounted upon the fan and rotatable therewith; said baflle member comprising a central outwardly projected cusp surrounded by a groove provided with roughened walls; a fixednozzle member disposed immediately in front of said cusp; said nozzle member comprising an annular chamber having an axially arranged discharge opening directed'toward said cusp and a tan.- gentially arranged oil supply passage for the chamber; and means for supplying liquid fuel under pressure to said chamber thro h said tangential supply opening, whereby said fuel is ejected from said discharge opening and onto the baflie member in the form of a rapidly moving conical spray in such a manner that the impin ement of the spray on the baflle member ten s to break up the fuel into particles'for projection into said air blast.

5. In a liquid fuel burner, the combination a of means for producing an air blast, a rbtatable bafiie member disposed within said air blast and having its axis of rotation arranged substantially parallel to the general direction of the blast, a nozzle member opposed to the baflle member and comprising an annular chamber having an axial nozzle opening directed .toward the bafile member and aliengential supply passage for said chamber, and means for supplying fuel to said supply passage under pressure whereby a conical spray is projected against said rotatable baflie member and deflected into said air blast in finely divided form.

6. In the liquid fuel burner, the combination of means forproducing an air-blast, a member] disposed within and extending transversely of -the air blast, said member having a baflle surface thereon facing in the general direction of the blast, means for ro tating the member about an'axis arranged substantially'p'arallel to the air blast, nozzle means for projecting fuel on to the baflle surface, the nozzle means and the member being so constructed and arranged that each particleof fuel is projected toward the baflie surface in a direction contra to the general direction of rotation of the member and strikes the baflle surface at acute angles thereto.

7. In combustion apparatus, the combination of a housing providing a convergingdiverging passage, a driving shaft arranged coaxially of said housing and having one endextending interiorly to 'a point intermediately of the length of the latter, a propeller disposed within said housing and inclu ahub connected to said end of the shaft and having radial blades for translating "air axially of said housing, and means disposed within the housing at the down-stream side of the propeller for supplying atomizedfuel interiorly of the air stream flowing axially in said housing, said means embodying a baffle disposed transversely of the housing at the down-stream end of said hub and rotatable with the propeller and a nozzle member spaced from the bafiie in a down-stream direction. and having a passage directed toward said baffle.

8. In combustion apparatus, the combination of a housing providing a convergingdiverging passage; a driving shaft arranged coaxially of said housing, supported from the forward end of the latter and having one end extending interiorly to a point intermediate the length thereof; a propeller disposed within said housing and including a hub connected to said end of the shaft and having radial blades for translating air axially of said housing; means disposed within the housing at the down-stream side of the propoller for supplying'atomized fuel interiorly' of the air stream flowing axially in said housing, said means embodying a baffle disposed transversely of the housing and provided at the down-stream end of said hub and a nozzle member spaced in a down-stream direction from the baffle and having a passage directed toward the latter; and a conduit extending transversely through the housing wall at the down-stream side of the propeller for supplying liquid fuel to said nozzle mem- .9. In afuel burner, the combination of a casing having an axial passage, a propeller arranged in the passage, an impact member rotatable with the propeller and arranged centrally of and at the discharge side of the propeller, a nozzle passage at the discharge 7 side of the propeller and directed toward said impact member, and means for supplying liquid fuel to the nozzle passage inlet with high-velocity circular or vortical motion in a direction opposed to'the direction of rotation of the propeller.

10. In a fuel burner, the combination of a housing providing a horizontal convergingdiverging passage, a power shaft arranged coaxially of the passage and having one end located at a point intermediate the length of providing for circular or vertical motion in a direction opposed to the direction of rotation of the propeller of the fuel supplied to said nozzle passage.

11. In a fuel burner, the combination of a horizontal annular housing having a converging-diverging passage and adapted to extend through a furnace front wall and be supported thereby, a motor extending forwardly of said casing and having a shaft extending axially of the passage and into said casing, means connected to the motor and to the front end of the casing for supporting the former from the latter, a radialvaned propeller arranged in said passage and connected to the rearward end of said shaft, means disposed centrally of the passage at the discharge side of the propeller for dispersing finely divided fuel into the axial and whirling air stream issuing from the propeller. and a conduit extending substantially radially through the housing wall at the discharge side of the propeller for supplying fuel to said means.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this twelfth day of November, 1924. HENRY F. SCHMIDT. 

